University of North Texas
Jackson State
Odufuwa, Tramiel Pace 10-Point Win Over Jackson State
11/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
DENTON, Texas (11/24/09) - The North Texas men's basketball jumped out to a 15 point lead in the second half and held on for a 68-58 victory over Jackson State on Tuesday night at the Super Pit.
The Tigers (0-4) cut the lead to four with 3:48 to go, but that was as close as the Mean Green (3-1) would let them en route to their fourth straight season with a 3-1 start.
"We came out and battled tonight," said head coach Johnny Jones. "I was very proud of the way my guys came back and didn't let their run get to them. When Jackson State cut it to a four point lead there late, our guys refused to let them take the lead."
Eric Tramiel paced North Texas with 15 points and George Odufuwa tallied 11 with 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. The big men combined for nearly half of the Mean Green's rebounds with 16 of North Texas' 36.
Garrison Johnson scored a team high 19 for the Tigers going 10-for-15 from the free throw line. North Texas was held to just 37 percent shooting from the field in the first half but held Jackson State to a mere 29 percent shooting. The second half was a different story for both teams, as the Mean Green shot 52.2 percent from the field.
Defense seemed to be the theme of the night for North Texas, as they set a season high in blocks with seven, collected six steals and held Jackson State to 35.6 percent shooting from the field, which is the lowest a Mean Green opponent has shot this season.
North Texas heads to Boise, Idaho on Saturday for a show down with the Boise State Broncos. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Central.
